Why Losing John McKay to the Vikings Would Be a Major Loss for the Rams

It shouldn’t be surprising at this point when the Los Angeles Rams have a coach or front office executive as a finalist for a promotion on another team. After the Minnesota Vikings requested Rams Assistant General Manager John McKay, he is now a finalist for their general manager position.

McKay is one of five finalists for the Vikings’ general manager role along with interim Rob Brezinski, Broncos assistant general manager Reed Burckhardt, Bills assistant general manager Terrance Gray, and Seahawks assistant general manager Nolan Teasley.

Among that group, Brezinski has the most familiarity with the Vikings’ structure while McKay has a past relationship with head coach Kevin O’Connell. If McKay does get hired by the Vikings, it would be a second consecutive offseason that the Rams will have lost a key front office executive. Last offseason, James Gladstone was hired as the general manager by the Jacksonville Jaguars to join head coach Liam Coen.

McKay joined the Rams back in 2016 as a scouting assistant and has spent the last decade working his way up the ranks in the front office. He’s done everything from scouting college players through the draft process to leading the pro scouting department during free agency.

Last offseason, McKay was named the Assistant General Manager under Les Snead and was the first person to hold that title. McKay has served as a remote scout and been someone who has led the college free agency process. Over the last several years, the Rams have signed key undrafted free agents such as Omar Speights, Shaun Dolac, Justin Dedich, Jaylen McCollough, and others.

Back in 2023 when the Rams were re-tooling, McKay helped lead the free agency period that brought in low-value, experienced free agents. During that free agency, the Rams signed wide receiver Demarcus Robinson who became an impact contributor and cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon. Part of McKay’s process is having pro scouts divided up by position rather than team or division.

“We really have people who are experts in that position and are able to stack (weigh) players within that position, have multiple years doing the same position, the same guys,” said McKay via The Athletic. “You have a lot of built-up history and knowledge, especially with guys who have been in the league for multiple years.”

Robinson started as a depth player, but ended up as the starting ‘X’ receiver by the end of the season as the team traded Van Jefferson to get him more snaps. In 2024, Robinson was brought back and had a career-high 505 yards and seven touchdowns.

McKay’s process was especially on display for the Witherspoon signing. After spending the first four years of his career with the San Francisco 49ers, Witherspoon was a player that the Rams were very familiar with. McKay had previously scouted Witherspoon and knew the kind of player that the Rams would be getting.

“I think the heartbeat of pro scouting is really being dialed in on your own team, your own ecosystem of what kind of human beings work in here, what kind of players work,” said McKay via The Athletic. “When you have that kind of understanding, it makes bringing in players a lot easier.”

When the Rams lost Gladstone last offseason to the Jaguars, it was a major loss. Gladstone was the conductor of their draft operation and helped develop much of their scouting system and how they operate. When Gladstone left, he took Jake Temme with him. Temme built the Rams’ JAARS scouting system.

The same can be said about McKay and the impact that he’s had on much of the Rams’ modern team-building process. Both Gladstone and McKay were brought on in 2016. If the Vikings hire McKay, the Rams would be losing two cornerstones of their front office in back-to-back offseasons.

That stability within the front office has played a large role in the Rams’ success. Since 2021, they’ve been one of the best drafting teams in the NFL. That’s despite only having one first-round pick from 2021 to 2025.

Over the last decade, the Rams have built one of the most respected front offices in the NFL and McKay has been a big part of that. He brings a modern approach to roster building that focuses on players who fit an ecosystem, culture, and coaching philosophy that has been successful with the Rams.

If the Vikings end up hiring McKay to pair with O’Connell, they’ll be getting one of the key developers behind the Rams’ team-building infrastructure, which on the surface seems like it would be a good fit.

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